The Story

A black hood is placed over Abby's head. Suddenly, it's ripped off and a blinding light is shining in her face. Hidden by the light, one of Stack's men questions Abby on the whereabouts of the stolen hard drive, which she claims to know nothing about. The man warns Abby to think hard, then replaces her hood, and moves her once again. The hood comes off, and Abby is face-to-face with Andrew and Stack. Begging for his life, Andrew insists his loyalties lie with Stack: he doesn't know the location of the drive. Stack orders his man to shoot Andrew in front of Abby. No more mister nice guy, Stack threatens. Abby listens in horror as Stack's man explains waterboarding, the form of torture he'll use to extract information from her. Abby clearly doesn't know where the hard drive is hidden, but she knows Mitch works with a guy named Dimitry.

Mitch watches Abby's violent abduction on Dimitry's computer screen, panicked for her and Claire's lives. Abby is stuffed into the henchmen's van, while Claire is locked in the FBI's car. With Mitch trembling and horrified, Stack orders him to bring the hard drive to a remote site if he ever wants to see Abby again. Mitch calls Tarrance, blaming him and the FBI for Abby's kidnapping and refusing to come in. He demands to talk to Claire, and assures her that everything's going to be okay.

Based on the time frame Stack confined them to, Dimitry can't fully crack the hard drive's military grade encryption. He's only able to filter out pieces of a formula to calculate costs for prescription drugs all over the world. When Stack calls to propose a meeting, Mitch loses his cool, threatening to kill Stack if Abby is injured.

Louis accuses Tarrance of failing to act on evidence; but Tarrance doesn't answer to anyone, and he doesn't help civilians like Mitch with cases. Nevertheless, Louis blames Tarrance for his bullet wound. Mitch refuses to turn himself in, so the FBI scours D.C. to uncover him.

Alex delivers the news of Andrew's "homicide" to Kinross & Clark employees. Her resolve in Stack's mission dwindles: the mission has gone way, way too far for her taste. Stack objects to Alex's use of the word murder; Andrew's unfortunate death was justified. Stack reminds her that a scandal of this magnitude could topple her father's law firm legacy. Caressing her face, the previously unknown connection between Stack and Alex is apparent: they're romantically involved. When Alex asks about the hard drive, Stark lets it be known that he has Abby and is trying to extract the location from her. His phone rings; Abby truly doesn't know the location of the drive, but she did reveal that a guy named Dmitry is trying to crack it.

Mitch and Ray wait anxiously at Stack's specified location, but he's a no-show. Mitch admits that this situation is all his fault. He could have walked away, but he was too focused on knowing the truth, and he became reckless with the people he cares most about. Stack calls to reiterate that Mitch has done "this" to himself. Police cars suddenly surround Ray's Cadillac, demanding Mitch and Ray exit the vehicle: it's Tarrance! Mitch and Ray are both under arrest as material witnesses in an FBI investigation. The hard drive, Mitch's precious bargaining chip, is confiscated by Tarrance, ruining any chance of Abby's recovery.

Arraigned until further notice, Mitch paces his cell, too worried about Abby to listen to reason. Thankfully, Ray thought ahead and left the real hard drive with Dimitry. The Feds have phony evidence! Mitch freaks out, telling Ray that if anything happens to Abby he'll never forgive him. Unfortunately for Abby, Stack doesn't know it's a fake. Abby's torturer is given the go-ahead to kill her. Now Abby has a choice: she can either die by drowning, or her captor can shoot her quickly. Abby pleads for her life and begs to call Claire to say goodbye. Her captor will only say that she should take heart in the fact that her death will help others to live.

If the Feds decrypt Stack's hard drive, they will discover plenty of incriminating evidence to send Stack and Alex away for a long time. Off the cuff, Alex pieces together a desperate plan: if she can keep Mitch and Ray from being charged as material witnesses, the FBI legally can't search the hard drive. Abby's death warrant isn't signed yet, so Stack calls off his dog.

Facing U.S. Attorney Ruckeyser, Tarrance and Louis, Mitch argues against their detainment. His normally clear thinking is obstructed by his emotional anguish, so Ray takes charges and files a habeas corpus. The petition won't clear for several days though, allowing the FBI to have free reign over the hard drive. Before Tarrance sends Mitch back to his cell, Ruckeyser reminds Mitch that the federal government doesn't trade evidence for hostages... Tarrance wants to tear up the habeas, and Louis wants her to do whatever it takes to save Abby; but Ruckeyser stands firm. This cowboy crap has to stop.

Alex appears at Mitch and Ray's cell, requesting a private conversation with her new clients. As a lawyer with connections, Alex has arranged for a hearing in an hour. To free Abby, the three of them need to work together. An untouched hard drive means leverage for Abby's release. Finally able to confront her, Mitch accuses Alex of luring him to the firm to monitor the Sarah Holt case. Alex doesn't deny the claim, but explains her connection to Stack: she allowed Stack to keep files in her building, but Alex didn't know their nature. A terrified Moxon discovered the death mission and brought his proof to Alex. Going to the police would've destroyed the law firm and might have ended in Alex's imprisonment. Mitch claims it's not too late to fix things, but Alex knows that it is. She'll get Mitch out of jail, but the rest is up to him - he needs to return the drive.

Dmitry calls Tammy, worried that Mitch and Ray haven't called and they're not answering their phones. Tammy instructs him to bring the hard drive to her if the guys don't call in the next half hour. In court, Mitch fails to win his release, when the judge labels him a vigilante desperately willing to trade evidence to free his wife. Mitch and Ray will be held until the hard drive is decoded. Moments after the hearing, Tarrance informs Ruckeyser the drive is empty; it belongs to someone named Dimitry. Confused, Ruckeyser passes the mystifying new development on to Alex, who's on the phone with Stack. Meanwhile, Louis illegally signs Mitch and Ray out of jail for "debriefing," then passes the handcuff key to Ray. Abby and Claire are practically Louis' family, and he won't allow them to be hurt.

Stack's men bust in Dimitry's door, but he's gone! Dimitry is rushing to drop the hard drive off with Tammy when Mitch calls, asking to meet at 23rd Street to hand over the drive. Angry to learn his plan is thwarted, Stack receives a call from Mitch, ordering him to meet at a public location for the handoff. In turn, Stack instructs his men to bring Abby and meet him at Mitch's specified spot.

Abby almost convinces her torturer that she and Mitch are on his side, but when he demands whether she knows about Stack's mission, she can't answer. Stack is right: all enemies of the mission need to be turned or eliminated. Just as he's getting ready to drown Abby, his phone rings, and she's able to kick over a light into a puddle of water, electrocuting him. Sidestepping the water, Abby cuts herself free and bolts from the room. Sprinting down the hall and desperate for a way out, Abby yanks a garage door up and slides out into the sunlight, just as Stack's men close in. She flags down a black SUV and prepares to jump inside. Meanwhile, Alex meets with Stack. It's time to give Mitch back his wife, retrieve the drive and then stop the mission.

Mitch and Ray retrieve the hard drive from Dmitiry, just as Tarrance informs Ruckeyser that they're no longer in prison. How did Mitch get the best of them? Ruckeyser tells Tarrance to call Louis' boss and stop throwing a hissy fit in the hallway. Back on the street, Mitch and Ray approach Stack carefully, wondering whether the deal will turn violent...